Shinjuku 2-chome & Asakusa: An Amazing Adventure into the LGTB History and Scene of Tokyo

Join us on an amazing adventure into the LGBT history and scene of Tokyo. Explore Shinjuku 2-chome, Japan’s largest gayborhood, and experience the vibrant culture of Asakusa. Discover the past and present of Japanese gay society on this inclusive tour.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 6 days
Highlights
  • Asakusa - Sensoji (Temple) forms the deeply historic heart of Asakusa, but the shopping, dining, and entertainment areas alongside its approach is also the center of Tokyo’s “elder gay” population. A century ago, Asakusa was in many ways what Shinjuku and Shibuya are like today. In fact, the Asakusa to Ueno stretch was so popular back in the early…
What's Included
  • Dinner
  • 2 drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Gratuities
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup (please inquire – this may be available for an additional charge upon request)
  • Transportation (you’ll need 270 yen for the one subway ride we take)
Additional Information

Behind every stoic Japanese businessman face there is a secret, thus one aspect of ‘honne tatemae,’ which loosely translates to something along the lines of keeping the publicly acceptable face forward, and the true face within. This, combined with Japanese culture’s general disdain for public affection, might make Tokyo seem to not have as vibrant an…

Location
Kamiya Bar
Please meet on the corner outside this famous bar/restaurant. Easily accessible by two different subway lines.
Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(27 Ratings)
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Ulysses_p
Oct 3, 2025
Fun lgbt tour - Great tour! Hiroshi, our tour guide was amazing. Fluent in English, Spanish & Japanese. Good energy and easy going. So much information about the lgbt life in Japan. Good conversation, company, dinner and drinks. I loved it!
Review provided by Viator
Staceydh6820so
Oct 1, 2025
This was a great tour! I learned so much about LGBT+ history, the local areas, and then headed to some great venues. - Recommend! The guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. The tour had the right balance of history and then visiting the more modern queer quarter
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tomas_j
Sep 17, 2025
Perfect. - The guide was the best. It was so hard to understand the gay scene in Tokyo. But now everything feels easier. Great personality and great company! Love ❤️
Review provided by Viator
Jasmineg72
Jun 22, 2025
A fun, relaxed, and educational tour. - A really lovely experience. Our guide Hiroshi was awesome, as was everyone else in the group. We chose this as our first event after arriving in Tokyo and it served as a fun stress-free introduction the city. The tour itself is very informative and has the benefit of including both a beautiful temple visit and a walk through Shinjuku nightlife, among other activities. The starting point is easy to find and the end point is in a very international-friendly area where most speak English, so it's not hard finding your way around after the tour's end. Hiroshi also helped us with navigating Tokyo's rail system for the first time and humoured my first-time Japanese skills, which built my confidence quite a lot and set a good tone for the rest of our trip. I'm a very picky eater, but the food and drink recommended was all amazing. All the places we went were more than worth going back to on our own. Queer life in Tokyo, both past and modern, really is incredible and worth jumping into, and our guide went above and beyond in making the experience enjoyable and comfortable. Highly recommended for anyone even slightly interested!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dean
Apr 10, 2025
Expert Tokyo LGBT Tour and Guide - Very friendly and knowledgeable tour guide who spoke perfect English. He explained the history of LGBT in Japan and showed us examples in the LGBT District. Took us to a fantastic cafe for dinner including my first taste of Sake, then to a bar that served milk shakes which was great as I rarely drink alcohol. He knew this and chose that bar for me. We could not have been happier with this tour guide! I hope you get Hiroshi when you take your tour! A+++
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrew_w
Feb 26, 2025
nice and fun intro to gay tokyo - Relaxed and informative evening - and great fun as well - Hiro was a very sweet, funny and groovy guy - like a friend one never knew
Review provided by Viator
Gil_p
Jan 26, 2025
Great Tour!!!!! - This was a super awesome tour.It was very informative. Our tour guide Yappi was incredible 🥰. She gave us a full description of what the lgtb areas were like. She was phenomenal!!! I highly recommend this tour. If you're lucky, you will get Yappi as your tour guide.
Review provided by Viator
Dierdide2016
Jan 12, 2025
Such an interesting visit - The visit and the information provided were really interesting. The guide was really friendly and really intereacted and took care of the visitors.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brian_p
May 12, 2025
Our tour guide Hiro was... - Our tour guide Hiro was knowledgeable, charming, and attentive. He showed us lots of hidden LGBT gems around Tokyo infused with quite a bit of history. The tour also includes a small dinner which I didn't realize, but was nice! The only disappointing thing is as a sober person, there didn't seem to be much beyond all the bars in Tokyo (which is large portion of the tour). I appreciated it but would have loved if there was any insight into what a non-alcoholic queer lifestyle looks like in Tokyo
Review provided by Viator
Christophorjohnstone
Feb 5, 2025
Queer history passed down through the centuries - Interesting to hear the history around gay culture in Japan. It was a pleasant evening ending with a drink at an LGBTQ bar. Our guide sent us links to places he showed us on the tour and places he recommended on our personal interest to visit in our own time. I thought that was a nice personal touch to the tour. Only thing l wish we visited a couple of LGBTQ bars as l had done on a previous tour when l was in Tokyo
Review provided by Viator
From $109
up to 8 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 6 days before the start of your experience (local time).